Euphorbiaceae , the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants (anthophytes) in the order Malpighiales. In common English, they are sometimes called euphorbias, [1] which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are shrubs or trees. Some are succulent and resemble cacti because of convergent evolution. [2]
23,420 species of vascular plant have been recorded in South Africa, making it the sixth most species-rich country in the world and the most species-rich country on the African continent. Of these, 153 species are considered to be threatened. [3] Nine biomes have been described in South Africa: Fynbos, Succulent Karoo, desert, Nama Karoo, grassland, savanna, Albany thickets, the Indian Ocean coastal belt, and forests. [4]
The 2018 South African National Biodiversity Institute's National Biodiversity Assessment plant checklist lists 35,130 taxa in the phyla Anthocerotophyta (hornworts (6)), Anthophyta (flowering plants (33534)), Bryophyta (mosses (685)), Cycadophyta (cycads (42)), Lycopodiophyta (Lycophytes(45)), Marchantiophyta (liverworts (376)), Pinophyta (conifers (33)), and Pteridophyta (cryptogams (408)). [5]
47 genera are represented in the literature. [5] Listed taxa include species, subspecies, varieties, and forms as recorded, some of which have subsequently been allocated to other taxa as synonyms, in which cases the accepted taxon is appended to the listing. Multiple entries under alternative names reflect taxonomic revision over time.
Genus Adenocline : [5]
Genus Anisophyllum : [5]
Genus Anthacantha : [5]
Genus Arthrothamnus : [5]
Genus Cavacoa
Genus Cephalocroton : [5]
Genus Chamaesyce : [5]
Genus Chrozophora : [5]
Genus Ctenomeria : [5]
Genus Dactylanthes : [5]
Genus Dalechampia : [5]
Genus Erythrococca : [5]
Genus Excoecaria : [5]
Genus Galarhoeus : [5]
Genus Homalanthus : [5]
Genus Mercurialis : [5]
Genus Micrococca : [5]
Genus Monadenium : [5]
Genus Pedilanthus : [5]
Genus Pterococcus : [5]
Genus Schinziophyton : [5]
Genus Sclerocroton : [5]
Genus Shirakiopsis : [5]
Genus Spirostachys : [5]
Genus Synadenium : [5]
Genus Tithymalus : [5]